Prayers Upon Solemn Occasions, Prayer 3
Another Morning Prayer.
O LORD we beseech thee gratiously to accept this our Morning sacrifice of prayers and thankes-giving, that we poore wretches offer unto thee the GOD of all glory and Majesty.
LORD take from us all dullnesse of heart, all wicked and wandring thoughts; put into our soules the spirit of prayer with affection, zeale and fervency, that wee may rightly and reverently call upon thy great and glorious Name.
O Eternall GOD, most mighty and most fearefull, which dwellest in the highest Heavens, and with thy wise providence directest all things …o an excellent end; Thou which art to the wicked and rebellious wretches a terrible Judge and consuming fire; but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of defence, and their everlasting reward. We the unworthiest of all thy creatures, though the most noble by Creation; for they in their kindes and severall conditions doe thee honour and service, but wee whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more excellent glorifying of thee, have not onelyonly made our selves more vile then the basest creatures, and more sencelesse in thy service then the beasts that perish, but have even conspir'd with Hell, Satan and all the powers of darknesse to blaspheme and dishonour thy great Name, to profane thy Sabbaths, to breake all thy holy Lawes and Commandements. Wee O LORD thus wretched and unworthy are here ashamed and confounded in thy presence, for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are growen up unto the heaven, and so grievous are they that if thou shouldest require but the least of them at our hands, Satan would chalenge us for his, and we should never see thy face againe, nor the Heavens, nor the Earth, nor all the goodnesse which thou hast prepared for man. The thoughts of our hearts rise up in judgement against us; for whereas they should be meditating of thy mercies and goodnesse, of honouring thee in our vocations, whereas they should be knit fast unto thy blessed Word, O LORD, they are for the most part idle, wicked, entising, and full of the corruption of our raging concupiscence. The vanity of our talke condemneth us, for whereas our words should be spent in defending thy honour and truth, in reprehending the horrible sinnes of those amongst whom wee live, in giving grace to those that heare us, they are for the most part full of profanesse, worldlinesse and lying. The wickednesse of our deeds cry continually for vengeance and curses upon us; for besides our many and grosse sins, even our best actions are fearefully infected with privy pride and hypocrisie, whereas they should wholy and principally bee directed to thy honour and glory, they are fouly stained and corrupted with byrespects of credit, pleasure or profit. In hearing thy blessed Word, which wee should count the very crowne and garland of all our delights, we feele in our selves great want of due preparation, reverent attention, meditation and practise. In our prayers that inestimable comfort of a regenerate soule, wee are grievously vexed with dullnesse, wearinesse and by-thoughts. In all other good duties of obedience to thy holy Commandements, we want that courage, zeale and spirituall wisdome, which those excellent mercies thou hast vouchsafed us require at our hands. O LORD for thy great mercies sake forgive us these great sinnes. When we looke upon the vilenesse of our soules, by reason of these many transgressions, we see nothing before our eyes but thy heavy wrath, and everlasting curse, the torments of hell and endlesse confusion; but yet herein standeth our comfort, wee know that to them which truly thirst after thy kingdome, which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the HOLY GHOST, which faithfully desire to serve thee in sincerity, though they bee encompassed with many weakenesses, Thou art a Father of infinite mercies and everlasting compassions, and wilt passe by many infirmities of thy deare children. Wee humbly therefore beseech thee, most gracious Father, to bury all our sinnes both before and since our calling in the grave of CHRIST JESVS, and hide them in his righteousnesse for evermore. There is no helpe or comfort to be had either in Heaven or in Earth, in Angels, Saints, or mortall men to our wounded consciences, but onelyonly in the spotlesse justice of thy deare Son. Give assurance therefore we beseech thee to every one of our soules, that his pretious bloud was shed for our sinnes in particular, that wee may sensibly feele the forgivenesse of our sins, and rejoyce in the hope of eternall life.
In His blessed name we give thee all possible thankes, for those many mercies and comforts which thou hast plentifully bestowed upon us most unworthy wretches.
We thanke thee deare Father for our health, wealth and liberty; for our peace, plenty and prosperity; for our food and apparell; for our preservation from our cradle to this howre, and all the good meanes of these; but more especially for the more speciall tokens of thy great love; for these we have common with the reprobates, and those which shall never see thy face with comfort, but after a short time spent in the miserable pleasures of this vaine world, shall be turn'd to hell and everlasting fire. We thanke thee for chusing us before all worlds to be heires of Heaven and Citizens with thy Saints. We thanke thee for confirming unto us our Election by our effectuall calling. O happy be that blessed time, when thy good Spirit put the first motions into our hearts to become thy children. This is the blessing wee infinitely esteeme before al worldly comforts, and wherein is the preciousnesse of all true joy and contentment. O most loving and gracious Father, we beseech thee goe forward with the worke of this our New-birth that thou hast begun in us, and never take away thy hand unto the day of JESVS CHRIST. Thou hast promised, that whom thou hast loved once, thou wilt love for ever, and thou art without all shadow of change, and sooner shall the mountaines bee cast into the Sea before one jot of thy gracious promise fall unto the ground, or one title of thy Word be unaccomplisht. Take from us therefore wee beseech thee all privy pride and hypocrisie, all vanity and vaine-glory, all dullnesse, backwardnesse and security in thy service, which hang so fast on, which cleave so close unto our soules, and fearefully hinder us in the course of godlinesse, but above all things let us never fall backe againe into the grosse and horrible sinnes of our unregeneration. Reveale unto us we beseech thee all our sinnes, give us tender consciences and a continuall increase in spirituall wisedome and heavenly understanding, untill we come unto that happy strength by which the world is crucified unto us and wee unto the world, and bee able to say out of the powerfull feeling of thy goodnesse upon our soules, with thy blessed servant David, GOD is our hope and strength and helpe in troubles ready to bee found. Therefore will we not feare though the earth bee mooved, and though the mountaines fall into the midst of the Sea. Though the waters thereof rage and be troubled, and the mountaines shake at the same.
GOOD LORD bee mercifull with the bowells of thy Fatherly compassions unto thy Church, and every member thereof. Be gratious unto this sinnefull Kingdome, and enter not into judgement with the horrible sins thereof. And in the same looke downe we beseech thee, with the speciall eye of providence and protection upon the excellent instrument of thy glory our most gracious Soveraigne. Give him the spirit of zeale, wisedome and governement, that he may long and religiously raigne over us in despight of all his enemies both at home and abroad. Blesse all his Counsellors, both our Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, the Nobility of this Land, the Gentry, all inferiour Magistrates, all Judges and Justices of Peace, those that are imployd in fighting thy battells either by Land or Sea. Give to every one a spirit to his calling. Leade them all into thy Sanctuary, and teach them out of thy holy Word first and chiefly those things which concerne thy honour and glory, the good of the people that depend upon them, and lastly the salvation and comfort of their owne soules at the dreadfull day of judgement, when they shall give an account of their stewardships. Enrich wee beseech thee with many graces of zeale, faithfullnesse and sincerity the Ministers and Preachers of thy holy Word; blesse their labours that some good may come of them, increase their number, place over every Congregation a faithfull and religious Watchman, that may go in and out before thy people in soundnesse of doctrine and uprightnesse of conversation. Touch the hearts of the many multitudes of this Land, that at length they may turne unto thy truth, and so be delivered out of the tyranny and power of Satan, to the freedome of thy deare Son CHRIST JESVS our LORD. Give successe, good LORD, and prosper all those which in their good purposes seeke the preferment of thy truth by good and lawfull meanes.
Blesse all them that thou hast joyned unto us with any bond of love, kinred, or acquaintance, all those whose hearts thou hast stird up to doe us good any manner of waies; and those also which wish and worke us evill if they belong unto thee.
Comfort O LORD with thy sweetest comforts all thy children which are vexed either in soule, or body, whether by Pestilence, Famine, Warre, poverty, imprisonment, sicknesse or banishment: trouble of conscience, vexation of spirit, disquietnesse of minde, want of spirituall comfort, or whatsoever kinde of affliction of body, or mind thou dost try them with. Give them in the meane time faith in thy promises, and comfort in thy Spirit, and in thy good time a happy deliverance, whether by life or by death, as it shall be best to thy honour and glory and good of their owne soules.
But especially as we are bound at this time, we humbly intreate thy loving kindnesse and tender mercies, for our poore afflicted brethren and sisters here about us in London, Oxford, and many other places of this Land. O LORD stay thy revenging hand; Though wee bee but wormes and dust, yet thou art our Creator, and we the worke of thy hands. Thou art our Father, and wee thy children, Thou art our Shepheard, and we thy sheep, Thou art our Redeemer and wee the people whom thou hast bought, Thou art our GOD, and we thine inheritance. Forget not therefore O LORD to be gracious, and shut not up thy loving kindnesse in displeasure; turne thee againe at the last, and bee gracious unto thy servants.
And grant wee beseech thee that these great judgements may effect and worke that for which they were sent, even true humiliation, and undissembled repentance, that we all turning unto thee in truth and sincerity, thou maist turne unto us with thy mercies and everlasting compassions. And whereas we whom of thy great goodnesse thou hast thus long time spared, are as deepe as those whom the Plague hath consumed. Wee beseech thee make us wise by their afflictions, and so informe us in thy feare, that we may frame the rest of our life in all holy obedience according to thy will.
Lastly most gracious LORD, wee humbly beseech thee to take us this day under the shadow of thy wings. Let thy Omnipotency be a brazen wall unto us, let thy mighty hand and stretched out arme encompasse us, let thy carefull providence watch over us, and thy blessed Angels pitch about us. And sith wee now enter into the affaires of this day, let not we beseech thee the delights, benefits and honours of this life ensnare our soules, or make a breach into our consciences: for these weake and carnall comforts will never follow us unto the darke places, but when wee shall sit downe in the dust, and say unto corruption thou art our father, and to the worme thou art our mother and sister, then they will all leave us; nay they will turne to worme-wood and bitternesse. Sanctifie we beseech thee our thoughts, knit them fast unto thy holy Word, and the necessary businesses of our vocation. Keepe, we pray thee, in a sanctified moderation all the affections of our hearts, and stirre our passions that none of them breake out upon us either to dishonour thy Majesty, disquiet our owne consciences, or disgrace our Christian carriage. Let all our words be seasoned with grace, religion and charity. Let every action into which we shall enter this day or ever hereafter, be just and lawfull, and in them blesse us with sincerity of heart, with a godly end and good meanes. O LORD, we beseech thee give us the spirit of judgement, that wee may discerne betweene the short span of this wretched life, and the length and breadth of immortality, that wee never esteeme the pleasures of sinne for a moment, before eternall and everlasting joyes, but even count the best things of this world as dung, as vanity and nothing, nay as worse then vanity and lesse then nothing, for the winning of CHRIST JESVS, and that excellent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy servants. Worke in our hearts wee beseech thee a perfect detestation even of our sweetest and lest sinnes; let us ever looke upon them in their true nature, and greatest ouglinesse, as accompanied with thy heavie displeasure and fearefullest judgements; that wee may loath them as a Serpent, and so cease for ever to offend thee in them. And whereas wee are every day afresh to enter combat, not with flesh and blood, but with the Prince of darknesse, the rulers of the ayer, the spirituall craftinesse and pollicies of hell; vouchsafe us wee beseech thee the compleate armour of true Christians. The brestplate of righteousnesse, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit; but above all the shield of faith, that wee may manfully fight against our corruptions, that we may quench all the fiery darts of Satan, tread the malicious Serpent under our feete, and at our last and greatest fight in godly triumph and through the might and merits of our Captaine JESVS CHRIST, may say with gladnesse and joy, O death where is thy sting, O hell where is thy victory. And in the meane time, for as much as every day wee step neerer our grave, and approach neerer unto thy presence, and that great and fearefull judgement before thy throne, even for our idle words and wandring thoughts, give unto us we beseech thee every day a new grace, a new strength in the course of regeneration, more full assurance of the remission of our sins, till with a wise heart, we have such a feeling of the glory of GOD, and of eternall life, that wee make up our account with the world, and bee at a point with all that is under the Sun. And sith at that day we must answer not onelyonly for the sinnes of our owne persons, but for many sins of those that depend upon us, if we labour not to bring them unto GOD; for sinnes committed by our ill example; for sinnes that we have seene and heard in others, and have not grieved & religiously reprehended them. LORD we beseech thee give us an exact and precise care over all our waies; over our generall calling of Christianity and those particular callings wherein thou hast placed us. And let us never be hindered or discouraged in any good thing by the profane and malicious reproaches of wicked and carnall men, and the many oppositions of Satan; and the rather because to us it is a blessed marke that we are translated out of darknesse into light, and that we will not runne with them unto the same excesse of ryot: but to them it is a token of perdition. For why should we, good LORD, for the vaine and unjust censures of mortall wretches turne from thee for this little inch of time, and hereafter receive everlasting confusion.